The main characteristics of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods are divided into the following aspects:

1. Criminal law

The important institutional innovation is the adoption of written and codified laws. Such laws increasingly replace traditional and largely unwritten but tacit norms called "rituals" (the word has been interpreted in various ways, such as "traditional customs", "general rules of polite behavior", "ceremonial rituals"). etc.) customary code of conduct. The earliest conclusive example is that in 536 BC, Zheng Guo carved the punishment book on a set of bronze tripods.

2. Reform and transformation

The coexistence of reform and war for hegemony was a significant social condition in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It can be said that the emergence of every overlord in the Spring and Autumn Period was the result of reform. The reason why the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period were able to dominate the land of China was also the result of continuous innovation.

3. Culture

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, many famous thinkers and works such as Laozi and Confucius appeared, which had a profound impact on Chinese and world culture. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, our country's achievements in astronomy, physics, and medicine were all at the world's advanced level. The large amount of physical knowledge summarized and refined in the "Mo Jing" also wrote a glorious page in the history of science in our country.

4. Economy

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, as the last Bronze Age in China, due to the use of iron tools and the promotion of oxen farming, bronze ware gradually withdrew from the stage of history. Promotion also marks a significant increase in social productivity. China's feudal economy has further developed, especially in the north.

5. Population

The improvement of agriculture is likely to be accompanied by the growth of population. According to Liang Qichao's speculation, the population reached more than 30 million in the late Warring States Period. ?[4]?During the Warring States Period, cities seemed to have increased greatly, expanded in size, and become more complex in design. One of the few signs, as archaeological excavations have shown, is that several of their walls were quite long.

Extended information:

Slavery collapsed during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and the feudal system was established. This distinctive feature of the times is reflected in the following aspects:

(1) Economically: During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the use of iron tools and the promotion of cattle farming marked a significant increase in social productivity. Our country's feudal economy has been further developed, especially in the north. The leap in productivity caused a revolution in production relations. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the well-field system (public land) was gradually replaced by feudal private ownership of land, and was finally established through reforms in various countries.

(2) Politically: During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, wars between princes fighting for hegemony destroyed the old order of slavery and brought disaster and suffering to the people. However, the results of the war accelerated the unification process, promoted national integration, and accelerated the pace of change. As the power of the emerging landlord class grew, they successively launched reform movements in various vassal states, and a new feudal system was finally established. The Qin State, which carried out the most thorough reforms, became the strongest among the vassal states, and later developed into the core force of unification.

(3) Culturally: Culture is a reflection of the politics and economy of a certain period. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, economic development promoted the progress of science and technology; social changes contributed to the unprecedented activity of thought and the prosperity of literature and art.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the old system and old ruling order were destroyed, new systems and new ruling orders were established, and new class forces were growing. Hidden in this process and constituting the root of this social change is the revolution of productivity characterized by iron tools. The development of productive forces eventually led to reform movements and the establishment of feudal systems in various countries, and also led to the prosperity of ideology and culture.

2. Similarities and differences between wars for hegemony during the Spring and Autumn Period and annexation wars during the Warring States Period

(1) Similarities: ① Both have the purpose of expanding territory and plundering population. ② The influence of the Spring and Autumn hegemony and the Warring States mergers were that the big swallowed up the small and the strong bullied the weak, which reduced the number of vassal states, accelerated the disintegration of slavery and promoted the formation of feudalism. At the same time, it will inevitably cause huge damage to people's lives and production.

(2) Differences: ①The annexation during the Warring States Period was in the nature of a feudal annexation war, while the struggle for hegemony in the Spring and Autumn Period was only a war for hegemony among slave-owning powers. ②The wars for hegemony in the Spring and Autumn Period promoted national integration and were conducive to the growth of feudal factors. After the war of annexation during the Warring States period transformed into a war of feudal unification, it led to the creation of a great feudal empire.

(3) The battles for hegemony and annexation wars among the princes reduced the number of princely states, gradually integrated the various ethnic groups, and the people longed for unification, thus forming a trend of unification.

The historical situation of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period:

1. Spring and Autumn Disputes

"Spring and Autumn" begins in 722 BC and ends in 481 BC. In history, the historical period between King Zhou Ping's migration to the east and 476 BC is usually called the "Spring and Autumn Period". This period is basically the same as the period covered by the "Spring and Autumn" book.

After King Ping moved east to Luoyi (now Luoyang, Henan), the western land belonged to the Qin State. It annexed some surrounding Rong tribes or countries and became a powerful country in the west.

2. Situation of the Warring States Period

The situation of the Warring States Period was: Chu was in the south, Zhao was in the north, Yan was in the northeast, Qi was in the east, Qin was in the west, and Han and Wei were in the middle. Among these seven great powers, the three great powers from west to east along the Yellow River Basin - Qin, Wei, and Qi - had the power to influence the situation in the early stage.

From the beginning of Wei Wenhou to the middle of the fourth century BC, it was the period when Wei dominated the Central Plains. Wei's strength caused worries among Han, Zhao, and Qin, and frictions between them continued.

3. Qin merged with the Six Kingdoms

In 246 BC, Qin Wangzheng (later Qin Shihuang) came to the throne. He appointed Wei Liao, Li Si and others to step up the pace of unification, used money to bribe the powerful officials of the six countries, disrupted the deployment of the six countries, and sent troops to the east in successive years.

After years of fighting, from Qin’s destruction of Han in 230 BC to its destruction of Qi in 221 BC, the six eastern kingdoms were unified by Qin. China achieved the unification of the Chinese nation and established a centralized state.

①The wars during the Warring States Period were of a feudal merger nature, while the wars during the Spring and Autumn Period were only wars between slave owners and great powers competing for hegemony.

② The war for hegemony in the Spring and Autumn Period promoted national integration and was conducive to the growth of feudal factors. After the war of annexation during the Warring States period transformed into a war of feudal unification, it led to the creation of a great feudal empire.

The similarities between the two:

①Both have the purpose of expanding territory and plundering the population.

②The impact of the wars in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period was that the big swallowed up the small and the strong bullied the weak, reducing the number of vassal states, accelerating the disintegration of slavery and promoting the formation of feudalism. At the same time, it will inevitably cause huge damage to people's lives and production.

The battles for hegemony and annexation wars among the princes reduced the number of princely states, and the various ethnic groups gradually integrated. The people longed for unification, thus forming a unification trend.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Spring and Autumn and Warring States